Final Design Points in New Coop

[AVREY]

Howdy,

I'm looking to build a new coop for my new chickens. I'm very new to this, but I've been reading threads and articles that influenced my design. Due to city laws, I'm only ever allowed 4 chickens, so until I get a new house, I don't have to worry about chicken addiction. My current plan is 3 bantams, but I may cave and get the fourth to round out the flock. However, my design is assuming I get 4 full hens. Onto the design.

I am designed a 3' x 6' x 3' coop for (up to) 4 chickens. I know the bare minimum, especially for my area is 1sqft of ventilation per chicken, and I included the bare minimum, but there is always possibility for more holes or less siding. The roof vent is 4" x 6' on both sides, and the window is 1.5' in both directions. While not included in the plans, there will be hardware cloth on the upper ventilation and the window.

On the side is the small chicken door for the chickens to be able to access the run, and the larger door will usually remain shut unless I'm cleaning/retrieving eggs. I'm concerned the roost area isn't greatly designed. I have two 1.5' bars connected by a third 1.5' bar suspended 1.5' above the floor. I don't know if this is high enough or large enough. There is plenty of floor room to change this fact, if needed. The nesting box will go next to the roosting area. I plan on adding bedding so I added a lip on both exits to keep it inside.

Please let me know if there are any fatal flaws or issues that I can update before I start building.

Thank you

 

[saysfaa]

It looks pretty good to me. You might make the roof a bit bigger to make eaves have a bigger overhang. I realize you probably have six inch overhangs to let you use a single 4x8 sheet for the roof. Better the smaller overhang than making the coop smaller but the wider eaves are well worth putting a seam in.

I'm having trouble visualizing your roosts. But the height is fine. They will go as high as they can get but it really doesn't matter if that is 6" or 6' or higher or lower. They need some clearance to the sides, so a single 6 foot length going wall to wall gives them a lot more usable roost than two 3 foot lengths each going from wall to wall. The rule of thumb is 12" clearance on each side so 1 1/2 lengths don't work but that is just a rule of thumb; in practice it might work if they aren't flying up or are small enough bantams or simply don't mind squishing as much as most chickens, or, or. Or it might not work.

 

[AVREY]

I'm having trouble visualizing your roosts. But the height is fine. They will go as high as they can get but it really doesn't matter if that is 6" or 6' or higher or lower. They need some clearance to the sides, so a single 6 foot length going wall to wall gives them a lot more usable roost than two 3 foot lengths each going from wall to wall. The rule of thumb is 12" clearance on each side so 1 1/2 lengths don't work but that is just a rule of thumb; in practice it might work if they aren't flying up or are small enough bantams or simply don't mind squishing as much as most chickens, or, or. Or it might not work.

I have the roost as the corner 2x4's in the interior shot. I have it as a square, but I may change it to go from support to support so there is a solid 3' or might put two in to make sure there is plenty of room.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Since these are all bantams a single 3' roost would be fine, and a simpler design (even 4 full sized hens would fit across 3' fine, assuming they all get along). Doing the square configuration makes all sorts of weird corners that birds might not want to roost on, as it would put faces and tails too close to one another.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

from the NC Sandhills.

Unless you're in the SC mountains and/or your coop is in DEEP, natural shade, you're going to want a good deal more ventilation. I find that for a coop that is in only part-day shade I need double or triple the recommended ventilation just to keep the temperatures under 100F on a 90F day.

What are your plans for a run?

An Open Air Coop, that combines coop and run into one wire box with a 3-sided shelter on the windward end is ideal for our steamy climate here in the Carolinas.

Have you seen these articles?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

This coop was designed to meet all the minimums for a flock of 4 exactly when I had in-town chickens: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/ The only issue I have ever had with it was that my big, Brahma girls had trouble getting up to the roost since there was so little room to fly in there.

 

[AVREY]

What are your plans for a run?

As I'm building it, I'm definitely slowly adding more ventilation to the plans. My run plans is a 4' x 8' covered run for shade, but I plan on adding more space as they grow.

 

[3KillerBs]

As I'm building it, I'm definitely slowly adding more ventilation to the plans. My run plans is a 4' x 8' covered run for shade, but I plan on adding more space as they grow.

If you're already planning a roofed run you might just leave off the wall where the coop connects to the run and make the two as one unit.

Just make sure that the wind won't blow directly on the roost.